Beyoncé, the Stage Slayer as she is often called, turned 40 on Saturday. After seeing her performances, it is understandable why her fans hail her as the Queen. Over her career spanning two decades, Beyoncé has evolved into one of the most famous showstoppers in the world. She has become a powerful force to reckon with, or as her close friend Gwyneth Paltrow once told Vogue, “When she is working on stage, she has more power than any woman I’ve ever seen. She would never say it . . . but I feel she knows with every fibre of her being that she is the best in the world at her job.” What’s the reason behind Beyoncé’s irresistible fire? She explained it once, “You look in the audience,” she said, “and you see this little girl that was me when I was looking at Michael or Janet or Tina Turner. And there’s no way that I’m not going to give 100 percent, because I remember being that girl. And I’m still that girl.” Be it her climb to becoming one of the world’s best-selling recording artists, electrifying performances at Coachella, Super Bowl, worldwide tours, her sartorial choices during award shows and photoshoots, it’s no surprise that Beyoncé was included on Time’s List of 100 women who defined the last century. Beyonce had earlier opened up on where it all began for her, “I was competing in dance and singing competitions at age seven. When I was on the stage, I felt safe. I was often the only Black girl, and it was then that I started to realize I had to dance and sing twice as hard. I had to have stage presence, wit, and charm if I wanted to win. I started taking voice lessons from an opera singer at nine. ” Be it her climb to becoming one of the world’s best-selling recording artists, electrifying performances at Coachella, Super Bowl, worldwide tours, her sartorial choices during award shows and photoshoots, it’s no surprise that Beyoncé was included on Time’s List of 100 women who defined the last century Beyonce has also acted in several films and most recently, voiced Nala in The Lion King live remake, where songs in the film were widely praised Beyonce has no interest in ‘looking back’. “I’ve spent so many years trying to better myself and improve whatever I’ve done that I’m at a point where I no longer need to compete with myself. I have no interest in searching backwards. The past is the past,” she said. Beyoncé was included on Time’s List of 100 women who defined the last century. Beyonce said that she has always been careful about setting boundaries between her stage persona and personal life. “My family and friends often forget the side of me that is the beast in stilettos until they are watching me perform. It can be easy to lose yourself very quickly in this industry,” she had told Harper Bazaar. Beyonce made history with this Coachella performance in 2018, as she was the first Black woman to headline the festival. In fact, it was called ‘Beychella’. Beyonce made waves with her pregnancy shoot in 2017. She continued to set trends with her unconventional photos, after her children Rumi and Sir were born. Apart from this, she and her husband Jay Z are considered quite the power couple. Happy Birthday, Beyonce!